KID to place liner in part of canal

The Kennewick Irrigation District will spend nearly $700,000 for a rubberlike liner to lay down in six miles of canal this winter.

KID board members voted to accept a bid of $698,870 from 2M Company of Billings, Mont., for the material that will be delivered in about 10 days to locations along the Badger East Canal and the KID main canal, said Ed Everaert, KID's manager of operations and engineering.

The Billings company's bid was $12,000 higher than the lowest bid of $686,698 from Northwest Linings and Geotextile Products of Kent, but had a higher specification for resisting punctures.

The board had intended to award the bid to Northwest Linings until Everaert noticed the Washington company specified its material was tested to resist punctures at 28 pounds pressure. The 2M Company's material was reported as having 30 pounds resistance to punctures.

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KID's bid package required 30 pounds or better, said Everaert, who noted that it is important because the lining will have a rock ballast overlay. The $12,000 difference between the two bids was not a factor in the board's final decision.

KID's engineering estimate for the cost of the lining material was $775,000 Everaert said that leaves approximately $88,000 in the capital improvement plan for other projects in 2011.

Also Tuesday, the KID board:

-- Received an update about a new loan program through the Department of Ecology that would provide KID with $10 million at a 0.05 percent interest rate over 20 years. The money would be used to build a new water system and pump station at Kiona to serve 17,085 acres in the Red Mountain area.

The board is expected to decide on accepting the loan at a future meeting.

-- Adopted the 2011 tiered rate structure, noting there are no changes from the 2010 rates.